How many years can I expect a vinyl window or door to last?

16 years ago

The aluminum single glazed windows and doors I am replacing are 43 years old and still basically all good except the weather stripping is shot so wind blows through the edges and they are not as energy efficient or sound reducing as the new double paned stuff available now. I guess vinyl hasn't been around that long to give any really long term data but does anyone have any problems with vinyl windows say ten years or less old, and what were they? Does the vinyl deteriorate from the sun, or do they warp or do the door frames or tracks get damaged or what?

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Comments (6)

steve-va
16 years ago
I would guess maybe 30 years. It just seems like all of the vinyl stuff I have seen gets dried out & brittle.
oberon476
16 years ago
They have been installing vinyl windows in Europe since the 1950's. A good many of these windows are in excellent condition despite 50-some years installed.

The materials used in today's windows are generally far superior to the materials available even 10 or 20 years ago.
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Michael
16 years ago
What oberon says is true about superior materials, as long as it's a quality window. Cheap vinyl windows will cause you problems.

Michael
bryandwp
15 years ago
If you want a vinyl window that will not yellow I would go with the Amerimax Vinyl window. They have a AAMA color certification that most vinyl windows dont have. I have never had problems with Amerimax vinyl windows. Amerimax use to use a vinyl that had a blue tint to it but a few years ago changed it to a more white vinyl look. If you get vinyl windows you want to look for a vinyl window that has 10 parts titanium dioxide. This is the best you can do.
theporchguy
15 years ago
See Feb 29, 2008 post "How long do you expect a replacement window to last?"

The Porchguy

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cannedam
15 years ago
I have a TONNE of problems with the vinyl replacement windows in our home. From what I understand the level of quality varies with the manufacturer and even within one manufacturer. Our windows are now 9 years old. Numerous double hungs are now without a vital peice that keeps them within their tracks and allows the lower part to be raised. These windows will just fly straight down at full weight if you attempt to raise them and if you're older, you wouldn't be able to unless you're used to regular weight training.

Really check out the manufacturer and go with the highest quality you can in order to get a lifetime out of them as opposed to the 10 years these suckers are lasting.

HTH.

PS -- I cannot get any response from the manufacturer or the installer as to what is wrong with these windows. We bought the house in 2006 and have no idea what is missing (it's obvious that something is missing or broke in these windows) and would much rather fix them than replace them. With zero response we cannot do anything.

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